Shadow of a Doubt
by Henshin
Summary: The Heartless came and took over his planet. Now he searches for a new place to call his home. Yet no matter where he goes, he is an outcast. Some hide from him, while others try to kill him. But why?
1. Cold Reception

Welcome to my first story, "Shadow of a Doubt". The plot to this story was originally a challenge that I designed for anyone who felt up to it. Then, I felt up to the challenge.

Disclaimer: I keep a list of the things I own. "Kingdom Hearts" is not on that list. Do the math.

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_Chapter One: Cold Reception_

It was always the same.

No matter where I went, I always got the same cold reception. Someone would see me, stop in their tracks, stare at me for a moment, take a few steps back, and run off. I'd never see that person again, or any person, for that matter, unless I left and came back later. And even then it was the same cold reception as always. It was a shock at first, but I've grown accustomed to it since.

One time I ran into a child who couldn't have been more than five or six years old. This happened after my usual "welcoming party", so this was pretty unusual. Finally, maybe I could get some answers and set things straight. I took my chances and walked over to him. But when he saw me, he took off running. I ran after him out of instinct.

The path he chose led to a dead end. He sat against the wall sobbing and shaking. I tried to approach him in an attempt to comfort him, but getting closer only seemed to make things worse. So I tried to calm him down with words. I searched my mind for the right words and said:

"…"

What? I'm... mute? When did that happen?

Not only did I instill fear in other people by just existing, but now I couldn't talk! It was official: My life sucked. As I was cursing my own existence, I received a swift kick that sent me flying. I shook off the blow and was about to retaliate, when I saw that my assailant was a woman who pulled the child close to her before she picked him up and ran into a nearby house.

I did a lot of traveling soon after that. I hoped to find a world where I would be accepted instead of feared. I lost count of how many worlds I visited. It seemed like I would never find a place I could call home.

Eventually, I arrived at a town called Radiant Garden. No, wait… It was Hollow Bastion at the time. The moment I arrived, someone saw me. I had every reason to believe that this person would be no different than the thousands of others I had encountered.

But I was wrong.

He stepped forward.

He wasn't afraid of me? Maybe there was hope for me yet. Maybe I could call this world my home.

But I was wrong.

He brought out a giant sword that he had behind his back and ran towards me. At this time, I knew two things. One, he definitely wasn't afraid of me. Two, this wasn't going to end well. So I did what anyone with a shred of intelligence would do: I ran away. He chased after me, determined to kill me for some reason. I didn't know my way around Hollow Bastion, and having a sword-wielding maniac on my tail didn't help either. I wound up running into a dead end alley.

The irony here is just sickening.

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_End Chapter One_

Please review. I'm not really confident in my writing abilities. If it was good, I'd like to know that. If it wasn't so good, tell me why and don't hold back. That way I don't suck so much next time.


	2. Shattered

Alright, here's Chapter Two of my story. I'm not exactly the best at writing fight scenes. Having one person armed and the other person unarmed doesn't make things any easier. And since this is my first story ever, it's even harder. In short, I've created my own personal hell for your reading pleasure. You're welcome.

Disclaimer: I still don't own "Kingdom Hearts". Woe is me.

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_Chapter Two: Shattered_

The only way out was the way I came in, which my assailant was promptly blocking. If I wanted to escape, I would have to fight him. Unfortunately, I didn't have a weapon to fight him with, because I never had a reason to carry one. I looked around for something I could make-do with.

…Nothing. The alleyway was completely empty. All of these houses and not even a piece of garbage. Under different circumstances, I would applaud such cleanliness. Right now, I cursed it. I would have to settle with using my fists.

Well, maybe I didn't have to. Maybe a woman would come out and kick him, then pick me up and bring me inside a nearby house. Like that would ever happen.

…Actually, that wasn't a bad idea. If I could get inside one of the houses, I'd have more of a chance. There's no way he would be able to use that big sword in such a small space. I ran over to one of the houses and tried to open the door.

Locked. I expected as much.

As I did this the man rushed towards me, knocked me away from the door, and started slashing at me while I was on the ground. I managed to avoid him for the most part, but he gave me a few small cuts. And if that wasn't bad enough, now he was guarding the houses. So much for that plan.

I don't know if it was the injuries I received or if it was just pure desperation for escape, but I went nuts. I started attacking my opponent like a wild animal. It was like someone - or something - took over my body and I was just watching. My enemy seemed to be surprised for a moment, but he got over it. We started exchanging blows with no real results. He would slash at me and I would jump out of the way, then I would claw at him and he would jump out of the way.

Time passed, and he was showing signs of fatigue. I felt perfectly fine. That was odd, because I wasn't exactly the most athletic kind of guy. I took advantage of the situation and tried to open another door, which prompted him to charge at me. I expected as much.

When he was close enough, I jumped away from the door, causing him to miss and drop his guard. Immediately, I rammed him into the side of the house and ran away. I didn't bother looking over my shoulder to see if he was following me, or if anyone else was chasing me. I just ran to my ship and took off, heading for who-knows-where. Anywhere was better than here.

I arrived at my ship's destination - a place called Twilight Town. As I flew in, I scoured the town for a place where I could relax. I saw such a spot at the base of a hill, where a small waterfall was. I got out and someone saw me. Remembering what had just happened, I got ready for battle, but thankfully he ran. I wanted to be left alone anyway. There were about a million questions going through my head, and I needed answers. But then I saw my reflection in the waterfall. All of the questions I had were answered, and they were immediately replaced with new ones.

My reflection was pitch black, except for two bright yellow spots where my eyes were.

I was a Shadow.

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_End Chapter Two_

Yep, the main character of the story is a Shadow. That's why I didn't describe him in the beginning.

Please, for the love of all that is good, review! The only way I can make the story better is if you tell me what you don't like, and give me some suggestions for how to improve it.


	3. Exploring the Past

Okay, here's Chapter Three. Sorry it took so long to put this up, but it's my first story and I'm a perfectionist. That should justify things.

I'd like to thank RoseZephyr, Kairi159, and Shadowmeld for their reviews. They've given me the confidence I needed to keep going.

Disclaimer: Every time I tell you that I don't own "Kingdom Hearts", a small piece of my soul goes drifting away. Oh look, there goes another one.

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_Chapter Three: Exploring the Past_

I refused to believe it, but my reflection did not lie: I was a Shadow. But how? How could I be a Shadow? Sure, this revelation explained many things - why people ran from me, why I suddenly became mute, why that man tried to kill me, and why I didn't tire out while fighting him. But it just didn't make sense. A Heartless is created when someone - or something - steals your heart. I've only encountered the Heartless once in my life:

When they appeared in my home city.

* * *

Originally, I lived on a planet called Vale in the city of Cyrene. We were an advanced city capable of inter-planetary travel and communication. 

One day, we received a message from someone who identified himself as Leon, transmitting from a place called Traverse Town. He warned us about the "Heartless", creatures of darkness that steal people's hearts and take over worlds. At first, we thought it was a joke. And who wouldn't? Creatures who steal people's hearts? A child could come up with something more creative. Then he started sending us all the data he had supposedly gathered. We laughed at the blatant prank.

Twenty-something pages of data later, we realized this was too elaborate to be a prank. These "Heartless" really existed.

In response to this warning, Cyrene increased the number of city guards and regularly sent squadrons out on patrol. A law that had banned unauthorized people from carrying any form of weapon was repealed within two hours, and everyone was carrying a weapon within three. Our city had become a military stronghold.

As the days went by, we stayed on alert. But the days became weeks and still there were no Heartless sightings. Always being on guard was taking its toll on us. We all jumped at the slightest disturbance, and the constant adrenaline wore us out.

Thankfully, we caught ourselves before it developed into mass paranoia. We relaxed our guards a little and went back to daily life, reminding ourselves that we had an army that was trained to handle these situations. Time passed, and we enjoyed the peace.

Then it happened.

Shadows appeared inside the city walls. The alarm sounded and we all went to battle.

At first, we were doing pretty well. We were destroying the Shadows left and right with no casualties of our own. Then their reinforcements came in: Heartless that wore armor, Heartless that were giant in both height and width, Heartless that could fly, Heartless that could create fire, ice, and lightning, and Heartless that could cure the other Heartless. Just to name a few.

We fought with everything we had, but it wasn't enough. We cut them down and cut them down, yet still they came. We didn't have that luxury. What's worse, as people fell to the Heartless, they became Heartless themselves. We didn't stand a chance.

Everyone started evacuating. As I ran to the hanger bay to catch a ship out of there, something hit me on the head from behind. I don't think it was a Heartless of any kind. It was more of a blunt object, like a club or something. Perhaps it was someone trying to ensure they would get on a ship by ensuring that others wouldn't. Whatever it was, it knocked me unconscious.

I didn't know how much time had passed when I woke up. I imagined all of the ships would have taken off, but I refused to believe it until I saw it. I ran to the hangar bay.

By some miracle, there was one left. I hopped in and was about to take off when I realized that there could be more stragglers out there. But I was weaponless and therefore defenseless, so I couldn't go out and look for them. All I could do was wait. So I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Four hours had passed and no one had come. The longer I stayed, the more likely I'd be found by the Heartless. Reluctantly, I took off and headed for the nearest inhabitable planet.

* * *

I hadn't encountered a Heartless before then, and I haven't encountered a Heartless since then. That meant the only time my heart could have been stolen was when I was knocked out during the evacuation. But even if that was the case, it didn't explain everything. 

How could I still think rationally? Shadows only had a collective intelligence, if any at all. I could think, calculate, weigh options against each other, and just about anything else I could do as a human!

Why didn't I steal people's hearts? After all, that's what Shadows are supposed to do. Yet I don't even have an inkling of an urge to do that, nor do I know how I would accomplish such a task.

I didn't have an answer to these questions. I didn't even have as much as a theory. But right now, the reasons why things were the way they were didn't matter. Only one thing was important to me.

I needed to find a way to return to normal.

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_End Chapter Three_

If anyone was wondering how a Shadow gained possession of a ship, now you know.

Please review. Reviews amplify the power I receive from my dark lord. Oh, and they help me become a better author.


	4. Home Again

Well, here's Chapter Four... finally. My excuse this time? College. The good news is that I'm taking an English course that should develop my writing skills. Wait, that implies that I have writing skills in the first place.

Thanks to JadexOfxDarkness (previously Kairi159), Starlit Iridescence (previously RoseZephyr), and Saharas for reviewing my last chapter.

Disclaimer: I bet you thought I was going to say "I don't own Kingdom Hearts", didn't you? Well not this- oh, darn it.

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_Chapter Four: Home Again_

I had spent enough time in Twilight Town. These people needed to get on with their lives. My presence here prevented them from doing that. I got in my ship and took off.

I just got through the planet's atmosphere when it occurred to me that a Heartless wasn't welcome on any world… except, of course, worlds that were under Heartless control. Since I knew of only one world like that, my choice was made for me. Vale, or more specifically, Cyrene, was my next destination.

On my way there, I wondered how I should act when I arrived. I was a Shadow now; I had to act like a Shadow. That was the problem. All I knew about Shadows was that they stole hearts from people, but there would be nobody to steal from in Cyrene. How did Heartless act around other Heartless? I knew that I shouldn't act scared or nervous around them, but that's kind of hard to do when you're still in the mindset of a human.

My greatest asset was now my greatest hinderance, but I still had to rely on it. It's what has kept me sane this long, and I was sure I would need it sometime in the future.

* * *

I arrived in Cyrene at the hanger bay, which seemed to be in good condition. Then again, its walls are made out of two-inch thick steel. I landed a comfortable distance away from the other ship there and got out. 

Wait... other ship?!

I could've sworn that when I left Cyrene, I took the only remaining ship. Then again, I was in a blind panic when I got here. Maybe I didn't see it because I was so relieved to find my ship. Just to be sure, I went over to take a look at it.

It didn't take me long to figure out it wasn't one of Cyrene's ships. It was more colorful than any ship I've seen. It had a lot of weapons installed on it, many of which I'd never even thought could possibly exist. It was made out of a material that was... well, different. Finally, to dispel my theory about it being a custom job, there was no serial number on it that showed it was from Cyrene.

Someone was here.

Well, at the very least, someone came here between my departure and my return. Who knows? Maybe this ship arrived a long time ago and its owner was killed by the Heartless. Then again, maybe this ship arrived mere moments before I did. Knowing my luck, it probably came here recently. But for what purpose? Did they side with the Heartless, Cyrene, or neither? How many were there? Were they still alive? And why did they need so many weapons on their ship?

"Another ship?"

I looked in the direction of the voice and saw three figures walking through the hangar entrance. One was a human boy with brown, spiky hair that defied the laws of physics. The second one was a duck wearing a blue naval vest. The third one was a large dog wearing an absolutely absurd outfit. They were heading straight for my ship.

"This wasn't here when we arrived, was it?" the boy asked.

"Sure wasn't." the dog replied.

"Who would come here?" the duck asked.

"I don't know. Maybe someone got lost."

"Gee, you think they might be wanderin' around outside?"

"We better go look, just in case!" The trio hurried outside, and I hurried towards my ship. I had almost reached it when the boy turned around and looked back. "Hey, get away from there!" He ran towards me.

"Sora!"

"You guys go on ahead. I can take care of this guy!" As the boy named Sora charged at me, a strange object appeared in his hands and he gripped it like a sword. I had never seen it before, but somehow, seeing it filled me with terror.

A giant key.

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_End Chapter Four_

Sorry. My thoughts in this chapter were all over the place. I promise I'll make the next chapter better.

Reviews make me happy. Reviews with compliments make me happy. Reviews with constructive criticism make me happy. I write better and faster when I'm happy.

I think there was a hint in there somewhere...


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